Condenser



July 20 1926.

1,592,929 w. H. ELLIOTT v CONDENSER Fil y 92 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 20,1926. 135924923 W. H. ELLIOTT CONDENSER F l y 1920 I 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Patented July 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE.

WALTON H. ELLIOTT, OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO THE TEXAS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

' CONDENSER.

Application filed July 31,

This invention relates to means for cooling and condensing vapors and. gases and has particular reference to condensers for cooling the products of the distillation of petroleum. Although the apparatus is specially designed for use in the oil industry it is to be understood that it is adapted for cooling and condensing in the distillation of other liquids as well. It is an object of the invention to reduce the amount of cooling medium required for condensing purposes by providing for continuously ire-using the cooling medium, arrangement being made for cooling the cooling medium after it has served its purpose and continuously returning it for re-use in the condenser. Other objects and advantages of the condenser will appear from the following detailed description thereof. In accordance with the present invention the full cooling effect of the cooling medium is obtained by introducing the water or other cooling agent at that point of the condenser at which the product to be cooled has reached its lowest temperature and then causing the water to pass through the other portions of the condenser wherein it encounters the product to be cooled at progres sively higher temperatures. The water-having absorbed more or less heat from the product to be ,cooled is then conducted through a coil wherein it is cooled by the atmosphere and also by means of a flow over the coil of the cooling medium itself.

The invention makes use of the cooling eltect of evaporation. It also contemplates as one of its features a system of cooling the cooling medium by allowing the more heated portions thereof to separate from the cooler portions by passing off in the torm'ot vapor or steam while the cooler portions are retained and subjected to further cooling.

My invention is capable of enpression in various forms of construction and I have illustrated a simple form thereof in the ac companying drawings of which Figure 1- is a sectional elevation of an apparatus arranged andconstructed in ac cordance with the invention and constituting an embodiment thereof.

Figure 2 is an end elevation on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation diagrammatic in 1920. Serial No. 400,490.

character and drawn to a smaller scale than Figures 1 and 2.

1n the drawings, 1 designates the vapor line of a still, retort or generator in which the vapors or gases to be cooled are evolved. The pipe 1 is connected to the header 2 from which extends the condensing coil 3. The condensing coil is positioned within a piping 4 so as to form an annular space 5 through which the cooling liquid is circulated. In the construction illustrated the bends of the outer coil are shown as con structed of standard fittings 6 but obviously a number of variations in construction may be made in providing suitable bends for the coils. F or example, each bend may be made of a special cast header having a removable plate at the top in order to provide access for repair work on the pipe 3 as well as for cleaning purposes for the coil 4. As

illustrated the lower fitting at each end of the coil may be provided with an L 7 form-- ing a pocket for collecting rust and scale, the L being equipped with a blind flange 8 for cleaning purposes. The coil 3 terminates at the bottom of the condenser in the header 9 from which the condensate line 10 may extend to a suitable tank or receiving house, not necessary to show and describe herein. When utilizing the condenser in the distillation of oils it is well to provide the line 10 with a gas trap 11 having the gas pipe 12. v

The water or other cooling medium is supplied through the line 13 which terminates in the header lt which is connectedito the coil 4. The line 13 is provided with a valve 1%) and may be connected to a pump 20. I The coil 4 extends throughout the length of the coil 3 forming an annular cooling space about the coil The upper end of the coil t is connected by a suitable fitting to a coil 15, the top pipe of this coil being provided with perforations 16. Thus the water is conducted to the supply pipe 13 and through the header 14 to the coil 4 after -which the water passes through the upper water operates to cool the Water passing t rough the coil. The waterin the coil 15 a coil in the center-of the annulus.

which has acquired heat from contact with the products passing through the coil 3 is thus cooled, not only by air currents but also by the air cooled water dripping over the pipes. The falling water also passes over the coil 4 and thus tends to lower the temperature of the water flowing through that coil. The water is collected in the pan 17 which is drained by a pipe 18. The outlet 18 may be connected to a pump 20 of which the line 13 may constitute the outlet so that the cooling medium collecting in the pan 17 may be withdrawn therefrom and-returned to the condenser through the line 13.

It will be noted that the arrangement of the apparatus is such that the steam or vapors produced in the cooling' medium through its contact with; the products to-be condensed are easily separated from the liquid portions, the steam or vapors naturally passing olf in an upward direction from the apparatus while the cooler water is allowed to remain. In the coils 15 and 4 utilization is also made of the cooling efl'ect of evaporation. This effect may be heightened by wrapping these coils with cloth or some similar material.

In operation the hydrocarbon or other vaporsto be condensed or liquid to be cooled pass through the header 2 into the top row of pipes of the coils 3 and the products therein are cooled as they pass downward through the coils by means of the cooling medium in the annular spaces 5, the products finally entering'the header 9 and being withdrawn as ma be desired. The water or other coolingm inm comes first in contact with that portion of the coils 3 containing the products which have been acted on for the greatest length of time by the cooling.

water and which accordingly have been As the encounters those portions of the coil 3 in which the products therein are at progressively higher temperatures until it finally reaches the upper row wherein the hot products are received directly from the header 2. In this way a maximum cooling efiect is obtained from thecooling agent. The latter in itspassage upward through the coil 4 will have been heated to a greater or less extent. but after it passes through ,the coil 15 it is cooled not only by air currents hut by the dripping water escaping through the 1 perforations 16. In this manner the cooling medium is continuously being cooled and collected in .the pan 17 for re-,running through the condenser.

In a variation of the invention thevapors to be condensed may be conducted through an annular passage similar to the space 5 and the cooling medium may he run through In this case the annular'pipes are onnected direct-.

ly to the header 2 and the water pipe terminates in the cooling coil 15. In this form of construction the facility for reducing the temperature of the cooling medium is lessened but on the other hand the vapors in form of a tower so as to give ample facility for the coil to be cooled by air currents as well as by the downflow of the water.

When continuously circulating water through the system there will, of course, be more or less loss due to evaporation and it is, therefore, necessary to add from time to tir a fresh quantities of water. tion it may at times be necessary to suppl a certain amount of fresh water in order .to keep the cooling medium at a sufiiciently low temperature. Thus the pump inlet pipe 18 may have a branch pipe 21, having a valve22, and extending to a suitable source of cdoling medium. By means of the pump 20 and valves 19 and 22 an accurate control of the amount of cooling medium introduced to the condenser may be had there by effecting a very accurate regulation of the temperature therein.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular form of construction illustrated and described in detail herein and that various modifications and changes in design of construction may be made without departing from the letter and spirit of the appended claims which-so forth the scope of the inv ntion.

What I claim is:

1. A condenser comprising a coil consisting of an outer pipe containing within it a pipe of less diameter so as to form an annular space around the several convolutions of the inner coil, means for supplying the fluid to be, cooled to the upper end of the inner coil, means for withdrawing the cooled fluid from the lower end, means for introducing a cooling fluid at the lower end of theonter pipe, a coil communicating withthe upper end 'of the outer piping, openings in the top pipe of said coil to allow the cooling medium to be discharged. Wherehyfit. may flow back over the coils. a. pan for collecting the backflowing cooling medium and means for returning said medium to the condenser.

2. A condenser comprising inner and outer pipes in the form of a coil, means for supplying a cooling medium to the outer pipe, meansfor supplying the fluid to be cooled to the'inner p pe, a coil communicatmg with the outer pipe, means tor discharg- In addiing the cooling fluid from the upper part of said coil so as to cause said fluid to flow over said coil.

-53. A condenser comprising inner and outer pipes arranged in the form of a coil, means for passing fluid to be cooled through one of-the pipes, means for passing a cooling medium through the other pipe, a coil communicating with the piping containing the cooling medium, means for discharging said medium from said coil at its upper portion whereby said medium is caused to flow over the coils, means for collecting the downflowing liquid and'for returning it to the condenser.

one of the 4. A condenser comprising inner outer pipes arranged'in the form of a coil, means for passing fluid to be cooled throughpipes, means for passing a coolmg fluid through the other pipe, means for discharging the cooling fluid from said pipe at the end of its passage therethrough so that it will flow downwardly over the pipes through which it has just passed, and means beneath the coil for recovering the cooling fluid for reuse.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of July, 1920.

WALTON H. ELLIOTT. 

